Tomato soup cake is not a Pinterest gimmick, although it sure sounds like one.
When I first saw this recipe, I thought it must’ve been a joke 🙂
How is it even possible to add the whole can of soup to A CAKE???? I mean – who does that?
This recipe sounded so bizarre, that I had to try it immediately.
Where Tomato Soup Cake Actually Came From
The recipe itself is old. Older than most of us reading this blog now (including me :))
The recipe was printed on the label of Campbell’s condensed tomato soup in 1950s or 1960s. However, I was able to find that he earliest versions trace back to the 1920s and 1930s. Campbell’s company was the first one that started printing the recipe on soup labels as part of its “recipe on the can” marketing push.
Condensed tomato soup works in a spice cake the same way pureed pumpkin or applesauce does: it adds moisture, a little acidity, and a subtle earthy backbone that plays well against cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg.
The soup’s own sugar and salt content also meant home bakers could stretch what sugar they had — which mattered a great deal during the Depression and through wartime rationing. Back then sugar was one of the first things to disappear from shelves.
It is impossible to trace back who created this recipe. However, since Campbell’s company printed it on its label, this recipe is often referred as “Campbell’s Tomato Soup Cake”.
I Made The Cake. My Impression
My goodness, is it amazing!!
It is super moist, a bit spicy (I changed a recipe a bit to fit my taste – added ginger powder and omitted cloves).
It became the biggest hit wherever I go.
I also make it fun and play a trivia game with guests. Guests should guess the main/signature ingredient of the cake. Whoever guess it – wins a prize. So far no wins 🙂 People guessed squash, sweet potatoes, yum – nobody guess canned tomato soup.
***Note on sugar: I find that many American recipes are just too sweet. I always decrease amount of sugar in half.
Ingredients
2 cups of all purpose flour
1 1/3 ups of sugar (see ***notes above)
4 teaspoons of baking powder (I reduced it to 3)
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1 can of Campbell’s Condensed Tomato Soup
1/2 cup of shortening (I used butter, room temperature)
2 eggs (I used room temperature)
1/4 cup of water (not too cold)
Preheat oven to 350-360 degrees F.
Grease and flour 13x9x2 inch pan or bundt pan.
In a large bowl mix all dry ingredients. Add can of soup – mix. Add butter – mix thoroughly. If you use standing mixer – then mix for 2 min. I don’t bother, plus I don’t want to wash extra dishes lol, so I mix with spoon continuously (book says 300 strokes) scraping off the walls of the bowl. Add eggs one by one and mix after each one. Add water – mix,
Pour into greased pan, bang on the counter to let bubbles escape. Bake for 40-60 min (I bake half way, then cover with tin foil and continue baking) or until inserted wooden stick comes out clean. Remove from the oven, let cool for 10 min and remove from the pan.
Decorate however you want. I tried both icing sugar or frosting.
Let me know in the comments if you tried it. Or maybe your mom and/or grandma made it? What do you think.